Kid Superfood: Blueberries

While all berries are great sources of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, blueberries win the superfood designation. In fact, blueberries have the highest antioxidant activity of any food according to the USDA. Antioxidants work to help your body fight diseases like cancer and heart disease. Blueberries contain color pigments called anthocyanins that are powerful antioxidants – another reason to include colorful foods in your family's diet.

In the summertime we go berry picking every weekend. The kids love to fill our baskets with fresh berries, sampling along the way! In New England, blueberry season starts in mid-July. My kids are already talking about it! Find a farm near you for summer berry-picking fun.

We used fresh blueberries to make pancakes over the weekend. Deacon loved them so much he was still talking about them at swimming lessons later that day! We used a boxed multigrain pancake mix, then added blueberries to make faces or initials before flipping the pancakes.

Blueberries make a delicious addition to salads, baked goods, cereal, or oatmeal. Stir some into yogurt for a quick breakfast or snack idea. Add some to a dish of ice cream. Frozen blueberries are just as nutritious and available year-round – I made a big batch of blueberry puree for Ned using frozen blueberries over the winter. I stirred this puree into applesauce, yogurt, sweet potatoes, and even veggies like cauliflower.

I've already posted some blueberry ideas and recipes, check out the yogurt parfaits we made last month, try blueberries on one of my sweet pizza ideas, or the original recipe for oatmeal, blueberry and orange muffins.

Today's tip: Give your family antioxidant power with blueberries.